| dc.description.abstract | Abstract
This thesis examines miniature objects from Late Iron Age Norway. There exists a tendency within the academic literature to see miniature objects as either amulets or cult-related in nature. Researchers have used old Norse texts analogically, testing whether miniatures of everyday technologies fit representations of Norse gods and/or their attributes. This study highlights the miniatures in relation to their full-sized versions, relating the miniature´s embedded meaning to how their full size original were understood and used within society. Through observing a catalogue following this work, I take on a combined quantitative and qualitative research method, analyzing selected grave finds from Western Norway in light of their cultural environment to explore who were buried with miniature objects and why. The empirical review shows that individuals differing in gender, age, class and geographic origin were buried with miniature objects, demonstrating that ritual specialists and old Norse beliefs should not be the only dimensions looked at when studying presence of miniatures in graves. With a theoretical framework comprised of small-thing theory, archaeology of burial customs and feminist critique, I argue that miniatures are better understood as multifaceted objects whose meanings and functions are entangled with their context. The results describe how some miniatures could have functioned as specialized tools, as toys or for educational purposes. Others may have symbolized wealth and status, especially through ornamental function as jewelry. I demonstrate that symbolic and practical objects are equally important, each having agency to partake in enculturation processes and perhaps signaling social expectations of gender roles. The thesis concludes that examining the multivalent roles of Late Iron Age miniatures can reshape previous understandings, emphasizing their significance in reflecting societal values and individual expression across find contexts. | |
